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Blanching vegetables is part of the preservation process when freezing vegetables. Fresh vegetables are briefly cooked and then chilled in a cold water bath before they are frozen. This process helps stop enzyme growth thereby preserving food quality. Blanching is part of preserving vegetables when planning to use freezer preservation.

Steps

Method1

Boiling Water Method (Using Steamer Basket)

1

Wash and prepare vegetables as appropriate for the selected vegetable.

Add 1 pound of vegetables. Make sure all the vegetables are put into the basket in a single layer. This is done for even cooking.

6

Cover with a lid.

7

Bring the water back to a boil within 1 minute.

8

Blanch for specified time.

9

Remove blanched vegetables from boiling water.

10

Immediately place vegetables in ice cold water or in clean sink with running cold water. This is called shocking the vegetables.

11

Drain.

12

Freeze. Most cooks freeze vegetables in a single layer and then place in a freezer container. This makes it easier to use what you need when it comes time to use the frozen vegetable.

Method2

Boiling Water Method (No Steamer Basket)

1

Use a lot of water. Use 2.8 litres/ 3 quarts of water per 450 g / 1 pound of vegetables. There needs to be enough water to allow the vegetables to cook quickly; less water would cause the vegetables to stew and they will become limp, losing color, texture, and nutrition.

2

Cook the vegetables without a cover. It is fine to cover the pot when bringing the water to the boil but the blanching part should be done without the lid. Otherwise, you will trap the volatile acids released by the vegetables during cooking and this will cause the vegetables to become limp and deteriorate in color.

3

Keep it at a high heat level. Boiling water is important for keeping the green vegetables in top condition. The vegetables should be cooked as quickly as possible and boiling water will enable this.

4

Test if cooked as explained below ("Blanching Time Chart").

5

Serve immediately. Drain and serve. Don't leave the vegetables to sit or they're freshness will deteriorate as they keep "cooking". If you must leave them rather than serve them immediately, plunge them into ice water and serve reheated or cold later (as explained above).

Method3

Steam Method

1

Bring water to a boil as directed.

2

Add vegetables to a steamer basket as directed.

3

Keep the basket above the water to allow the steam to cook the vegetables. Steaming vegetables will take about 1 1/2 times longer to cook than when using the boiling water method.

Method4

Blanching Time Chart

1

Test for doneness. To know when a vegetable is cooked by blanching, use a slotted spoon to remove a piece from the boiling water and taste it. If the texture is to your liking, it is done. As a general guide:

Leaf vegetables - removed and drain as soon as they stop being stiff

Tough greens, or strong-tasting greens - cook for up to 5 minutes, long enough to soften their texture and improve the flavor.

References

To blanch vegetables, start by bringing a large pot of water to a boil. Then, add your vegetables to the boiling water and let them cook in the pot uncovered. The amount of time you should boil the vegetables depends on what you're blanching, but it's generally around 3-5 minutes. After your vegetables are done boiling, serve them immediately, or dunk them in a bowl of ice water before storing them for later. If you want to learn how to use a steamer basket to blanch your vegetables, keep reading the article!

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wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, 17 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time. This article has also been viewed 66,606 times.